Dear Art Friends, Our teaching friend is now living and working part of the year in Haiti. Since the earthquake hit, she has been able to get necessary permits to take in 400 refugees. The information is below. I thought there might be some looking for a way to help. It is nice to know the money goes directly where needed! Tanya Lemma -------------------- Solidarity Dame Marian EIN# 20-3374113 Earthquake Victim Relocation Project As the horrifying news continues to reach us from Haiti, Solidarity has begun a long term project designed to help those most at risk in Port au Prince, women and children. In the city of Dame Marie on the west coast of Haiti a building has been procured and will be repurposed to house up to 400 women and children who have lost everything in Port au Prince. Transportation from Port au Prince to Dame Marie has been arranged and people in Dame Marie are already working to prepare the site for habitation. Our initial target is 20 families consisting of a mother and no more than 4 children but we will have the capacity to increase this number in increments of 20 until our estimated capacity of 400 has been reached. These families will arrive with nothing and our initial fundraising is to purchase sleeping mats, bedding, clothing, and basic toiletries. -Sleeping mats will be purchased in Dame Marie and its environs. The cost for sleeping mats for 20 families is $380.00 -Kit bags of basic toiletries will be assembled in Miami and hand transported to the site in Dame Marie. Solidarity is hoping to find an organization willing to take on the responsibility of collecting these items as donations and assembling them into individual bags. The cost of 20 complete kit bags is $200.00 if we must purchase the supplies -Bedding, being bulky and relatively expensive will be sought out locally in Dame Marie. Local citizens are being approached for donations. At this early date residents have begun to make donations by dropping them off at our collection post in Dame Marie, Cafe International. -Kitchen supplies such as dishes and cutlery have already been kindly donated but the kitchen is in need of funding to purchase cooking pots. Cost for kerosene stoves and communal cooking pots $400.00 Solidarity Dame Marian has moved quickly to set up this system but at this point we are hampered by funding. We estimate these families will need up to 18 months to establish themselves permanently as residents of Dame Marie, return to their home town, or to return to a rebuilt Port au Prince. In the meantime these women and children will be safe from danger, have daily meals, receive medical attention, and education. The daily food cost alone is estimated at $1.00 US per day per person. With 20 families of 5 this translates to $3,000 per month. While daily food costs will drop in the long term through cooperative work projects at the center such as a community garden and the raising of chickens to provide eggs as a protein source, Solidarity needs to ensure a three month coverage of food costs before we transport our first group of refugee families. If you are able to help financially with our project please send a check in any amount payable to Solidarity Dame Marian Inc at PO Box 382192, Miami, Fl 33238, or donate using PayPal on our website http://www.facebook.com/l/aaef3;www.sdmarian.org. Solidarity Dame Marian is a 501C3 registered charity that has been in existence for 5 years. If you have any questions or comments please contact one of the following board members: Marceau Livette 786-380-5812 Bernard Sejour 215-349-0258 Ogdneal Moise 617-319-4482 Lynda Rubis 786-380-2161 Please help us help others, Yours truly,